Lookout Mountain (Mt Zion) Golden
Basic Description: '''Lookout Mountain or Mount Zion in Golden is the most heavily regulated site in Colorado. It is a driveup site with 1000' of vertical. Site requirements can be found on the RMPHA site. All pilots must be both USHPA and RMHPA members to fly here. New or visiting pilots must complete 10 sponsored flights. Harrison Fast and Gary V. are both speedwing sponsors for lookout. This is a very high profile site for both the local club and USHPA. I waited 2.5 years to fly here. '''Getting There: '''Most pilots rally at the LZ parking lot off of highway 6, just south of the highway 6 and highway 93 intersection (39°45'1.21"N 105°13'45.01"W). From the LZ parking lot head south on Highway 6 to 19th street. Turn right (west) onto 19th street and follow this road up to launch. The main (north) launch parking is at 39°44'45.97"N 105°14'23.01"W. A short hike up the trail from here puts you on launch. On due East or southerly days, the South launch can be used ( 39°44'31.63"N, 105°14'20.88"W). Note: The south launch requires a power line crossing to reach the LZ. '''Launch: '''There are 2 primary launches: the South and North. Choose the appropriate one based on wind direction. You can also hike between the two in >15 minutes over the top of the peak. The primary north launch is at 39°44'46.30"N 105°14'26.05"W with elevation 6839'. The south launch is at 39°44'32.25"N 105°14'30.43"W with elevation 7013'. Don't be deceived by the elevation difference, much of the additional south side height is lost to safely traversing the power lines. The north side flight is a better speedflight hands down. '''Landing Zone: '''The primary LZ is at 39°44'59.87"N 105°13'48.90"W with elevation 5785'. It is a fairly large grassy clearing with gentle uphill slope. Preferred approach direction is from the NW heading SE. A shorter LZ can be used on speedwings at 39°44'59.48"N 105°13'55.15"W to allow for more proximity flying up higher. Note, however, that the two LZs are separated by a big deadly ditch. There is an experts only landing even higher on the hill but it terminates with high voltage powerlines and should be avoided. You typically want to go on glide beginning at the rockpile with a wind sock. '''Exposure: This site works best for a due east to south east wind. North days generate a LOT of lift. Often pilots will misread the direction of wind here, assuming that the ridge line runs North-South. In fact the ridge runs NE to SW. Often an ENE day will be described by locals as a "North" day. Weather: Jason's website has an awesome run down for checking weather with specific info on Lookout. There is a windtalker on Lookout that will tell you the latest data from the anemometer. Just call: (303) 526-5600. Finally, you can get to the personal weather station on Lookout via Wunderground. Relevant Media: The RMHPA introduction to lookout provides a lot of information regarding the site. Samantha's video shows one of the typical lines on a spitfire, including a landing at the expert's only LZ. Is this Dave? Gary's video shows the whole mountain from above on his Goose XL and Fazer 14.